100 Word Hits – Comic Reviews #5
Welcome to the fifth installment of our new column 100 Word Hits, in association with comics retailer The Unreality Store, in which Matthew De Monti brings us short, sharp reviews of the latest books to hit comic stores over the past month or so!
The Silver Coin #11
Written by James Tynion IV | Art by Michael Walsh
You know that you’re in for a shocker when the cover is a chef butchering someone’s arm!
Jean works a diner that’s steadily been losing custom since Wamburger opened. Receiving an odd looking coin as a tip she kisses the coin and wishes for a diner full of hungry people. Next morning there’s a queue of starving people who want to be fed. And fed. And fed. They will stop at nothing to feed their hunger and as Jean realises the folly of her wish she looks like she’s next on the menu…
Still THE best horror book out there!
Rating: 9/10
The Cimmerian: Hour of the Dragon #4
Written by Julien Blondel | Art by Valentin Secher
The action comes thick and fast as Conan confronts Thutothmes of Stygia for the heart of Ahriman The undead monks make their move to seize the heart from Thuthothmes for Xaltotun and end up doing Conan’s dirty work for him. Xaltotun’s inability to gain the heart means he can’t obtain immortality making him and his allies vulnerable. There’s an epic final battle with Conan ultimately victorious.
Being the final issue of the mini-series there’s a sense it’s a little rushed to tie up all the plot threads but overall this has been an entertaining story with some outstanding art.
Rating: 8/10
Alien Annual #1
Written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson | Art by Salvador Larocca
Kennedy Johnson and Larocca continue their excellent run on Alien with this annual that loosely ties into their first story arc.
The dastardly Weyland-Yutani Corp want to test out the Alien from their Epsilon Space Station and drop a team onto the Nishimura Space Station to see whether they can harness and weaponise it. Of course things go wrong it’s an Alien story, and despite the best endeavours of a synthetic organism relating back to the original Alien film, the outcome may go to show that the Alien is far from being the most evolved predator in the galaxy!
Rating: 8.5/10
Ghost Rider #4
Written by Benjamin Percy | Art by Cory Smith
Four issues in and we’re still left wondering why Blaze is roaming the backwaters of America, why he’s lost any direct connection to Ghost Rider, what is the true purpose of FBI Agent Warroad and why Blaze has a split in his skull that looks like demons might explode out of it
This time out Ghost Rider ends up taking on a demonic Ringmaster and his Circus of Crime. When Blaze wakes up there’s a flaming note to tell him to travel to the Hell’s Backbone Rally in three days time. I’m sticking around for that ride, but only just…
